The Lions took on a fresh Chicago Fire team riding a rare hot streak just a couple of days after playing to a disappointing road draw on turf away from home despite having a man advantage for more than half the game. The situation didn’t appear poised to produce a season high in goals for the Lions, but that’s what happened. Facundo Torres’ brace led the way as Orlando City blasted Chicago 4-2. Despite the continuous leaks in the defense, Mason Stajduhar turned in a heroic effort in goal to help lead the Lions to just their second home win of the season.

We looked back at our score predictions, broke down the match, and made our selections for Man of the Match.

The USMNT kicked off its Copa America campaign with a shutout victory, but it wasn’t the impressive performance we were hoping for. The Yanks must play better against Panama and then brace for Uruguay.

This week’s mailbagbox wants to know if a lack of minutes is hurting rookie midfielder Jeorgio Kocevski and what kind of minutes we can expect Duncan McGuire to get at the Olympics. Remember, if there’s anything — and we do mean anything — you want us to address on the show, just ask us by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC, or hitting us up on Bluesky Social with that same hashtag.

After the mailbagbox, we looked at OCB’s matchup against Atlanta United 2 tonight. The Young Lions will have to go the rest of the season without center back Abdi Salim, who was loaned to USL Championship side Detroit City FC. Salim immediately made an impact in Detroit, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 friendly victory over Pumas.

Finally, we looked ahead to Orlando’s trip to the Bronx to face New York City FC at Yankee Stadium. We already know the field conditions aren’t ideal and that the Lions have a poor record there. But can they get a third straight result? We provide our key matchups and score predictions in our match preview.

Be sure to rate and review our show wherever you get your podcasts. Remember, we’ll read any five-star reviews we get on Apple Podcasts on the next show.

Here’s how No. 428 went down:

0:15 – The Lions scored a season-high four goals and held off a fresher Fire squad.

31:32 – Our mailbagbox asks us about an Orlando City rookie and a USMNT striker.

45:06 – OCB hosts Atlanta tonight and the MLS Lions head north to the baseball diamond.

The Lions went to North Carolina, went up a man, scored twice, and all they got was one lousy point. It wasn’t an ideal trip to Charlotte but given recent fortunes, Orlando City will no doubt take the point on the road as Oscar Pareja continues searching for a way to get the best out of a team that has underachieved throughout 2024. The performances have been better in some respects, but there are still unusual defensive issues plaguing the team.

We break down the 2-2 draw at Charlotte, look back at our score predictions, and make our picks for Man of the Match (we were unanimous).

OCB’s game at New York City FC II was canceled without an explanation given on Tuesday. No makeup date had been given as of this recording. OCB’s Wilfredo Rivera got the call to replace Ramiro Enrique (personal matter) this week. He didn’t get into Wednesday’s match but Alex Freeman did and had a bit of an impact.

This week’s mailbagbox wants to know if we know our Orlando City key pass trivia, what makes us smile, and more. Remember, if there’s anything — and we do mean anything — you want us to address on the show, just ask us by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC, or hitting us up on Bluesky Social with that same hashtag.

After the mailbagbox, we looked ahead to Saturday’s matchup against Chicago, providing our key matchups and score predictions for the Lions vs. the Fire. Don’t forget to listen to the episode to find out where you can meet your PawedCast hosts on Saturday afternoon in downtown Orlando!

Be sure to rate and review our show wherever you get your podcasts. Remember, we’ll read any five-star reviews we get on Apple Podcasts on the next show.

Here’s how No. 427 went down:

0:15 – The Lions had more guys but not more goals in Charlotte. OCB didn’t play.

33:00 – Our mailbagbox asks us regular questions and trivia questions.

48:05 – We preview the second meeting of the season against the Fire.

The Orlando Pride got some players back and lost some others, as the revolving door continues. Seb Hines would probably love to have his entire squad available at some point, but so far it’s worked out fine, with the team remaining unbeaten after a scoreless draw at North Carolina. Sometimes the ball doesnt’ go in, sometimes the opposing goalkeeper plays well, and sometimes both of those things happen together. So it was on Saturday, but Orlando kept the door shut on its own end to become the first road team to take any points from the Courage.

We break down the match, discuss the handball call that wasn’t given, look back at our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

Following our breakdown, we also tell you where you can find your friendly neighborhood SkoPurp hosts downtown from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday prior to Orlando City’s match against Chicago. David Rohe is coming down from Tallahassee and we’ll be getting together (hopefully with you!), as we’d like to thank you in person for your support of this show and our website.

Our mailbagbox this week asked us a lot of questions, and we spent some time discussing the fact that the referee allowed North Carolina to play while Orlando’s goalkeeper was down with an injury. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, the Pride will host the Utah Royals Friday night. The Pride squeaked past the Royals in Utah in the first meeting. Can Orlando return to its winning ways? Find out in our preview, as we give you our key matchups, and score predictions for the game.

Here’s how Episode 48 went down:

0:15 – The Pride have gone two matches without a win, but it’s meaningful to be the first team in six tries to take any points away from a road match in North Carolina.

22:22 – There are a lot of Pride birthdays this week, just like there is a lot of mail in this week’s mailbagbox.

42:03 – The Pride will look to get back on track against the Utah Royals on Friday. Our preview.